Can We Walk This Line Together?
by Beneficence
Summary: Angie isn't perfect, drop dead gorgeous, or having a crisis. She's just a normal girl, who goes to a normal school, has loving parents and leads the typical life of a college student. Will he turn her world upside down?
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hey all. So, this is my first story. The idea had been swimming around in my head for a while, but I never had the time/guts to write and publish it. It's still a little rough, so I hope you like it. Comments (good or bad) are appreciated and let me know what you think (or which direction it should head in). Thanks!**

_Click click click. _A smile grew across Angie's face, as she knew what was coming next. The door gently creaked open as she sat up.

"Oh morning sweetheart! I was just coming to wake you up for school, but it seems you beat me to it." Angie's mother smiled at her as she tried to fix her earrings.

Angie laughed as her mother stared at her with an amused expression on her face. She couldn't help but look up to her mom. She was tall, beautiful with bright green eyes and dark brown hair, intelligent and right now, she was wearing a business suit.

"As usual. I'm guessing you're going somewhere, considering you're dressed up?" Angie stated/asked, trying to remember if her mother had told her and she had simply forgotten. Her mother laughed again as her dad walked through the door, smiling at his daughter, while giving his wife a kiss on the cheek.

"Angie, sometimes you're as forgetful as your father. I wonder how you two get anything accomplished with your terrible memory."

Both Angie and her father protested loudly, but her mother was clearly relishing every minute of it. Her father was equally as handsome as her mother was beautiful. He was several inches taller than her mother and had dirty blond hair, dark blue eyes, and if one was looking hard enough, they would see his pupils were rimmed with a dark hazel.

"Honey," he said, snapping her out of her thoughts. "We told you several weeks ago that we were going on our business trip, and that you would be on your own for several weeks." Oh right...she had forgotten. Ah well, can't expect everyone to be perfect all the time.

"Right right. Well, I suppose being on my own can have its upside. I mean, I could be late for school—or better yet, I could go shopping DURING school and you would never know right?" Angie smiled mischievously at both her parents, but to her dismay, they both broke out laughing and didn't stop for several minutes.

Angie knew why. She would never skip school for anything. Learning and school were things she was clearly good at and displayed a passion for and loved every minute of. Not to mention, she chose to go to university, so she found it pointless to skip something she was paying thousands of dollars a year for. Well, her parents were paying for. Her parents were fairly well off, considering her mother was a buyer for a big clothing chain and her father was CEO of a fairly big company. Being the only child left her with a lot of attention (and money) from her parents. She wasn't much of a spender though. The only thing she would actually spend money on was food, textbooks and school. Clothes weren't really her thing, but you would never know that, as her mom would constantly buy her more and more. Luckily, she lived in a fairly big mansion, so space was never an issue.

"Honey? Honey? I swear, she spends more time thinking compared to listening," said her mother as she waved her hands in the air.

"Yes, yes I heard you. Four weeks tops right? Yes I have money, and yes, I'll remember to eat while I'm studying." She often forgot to do that. Studying made her constantly zone out everything for hours.

"Yes, and don't forget, Adam will be coming over later like we told you, so make sure you come home on time, but that shouldn't be a problem," said her father as her mother fixed his tie.

Angie's head snapped up immediately. "Adam? Like when I was younger Adam? Like annoy the hell out of me Adam? Why him? Why this time? You know I can look after myself!" It was true. After all, Angie's parents went on business trips all the time. Sometimes together, sometimes not. It all depended on their schedules.

"Woah woah kiddo, slow down!" Her father came closer and sat on the edge of her bed. "It's not like we planned this sweetheart. You know we trust you! He was just coming over to visit, but due to schedule conflicts, we told him you would be on your own, and since the maids are all on vacation for a few weeks, he offered to look after you. Besides, you've never really been on your own before with all the maids in the house."

Point taken. She had forgotten the maids would be gone on vacation. Her parents planned this because they knew that with them gone and Angie studying all the time, there would be no mess that needed to be cleaned and the maids really needed a break.

"Right, well, you have a point there good sir," laughed Angie. Her mother and father both joined in as well.

How would Angie describe her family? As one small happy family. Always laughing, always loving, always perfect.

"Right, well darling, we need to go now, or we'll be late," stated her mother matter-of-factly. "The maids won't leave until you've left for school, so you should get up or you'll be late as well my dear."

Another good point.

"Alright, well you both take care and I love you both." At that, both her parents came over, said their goodbyes while hugging her and kissing her on the cheek. Yep. Perfect.

They left her room in a hurry and she lay back down, listening to the click of her mother's heel as she walked away. Looking around her room, she watched the sunlight bathe her already bright yellow walls with an almost neon glow. Another sunny day in beautiful Vancouver. Oh, how she loved living in an area that had beautiful beaches and mountains.

She got up and did her usual morning routine: shower, dress, straighten hair. She wasn't much of a mirror person, considering she knew how she looked. She had her mother's brown hair and her father's blue eyes, except hers were brighter, minus the hazel rim. She considered herself to be pretty, but not egotistically pretty. Just pretty. Plain and simple.

After dressing and grabbing her bag and ridiculously heavy calculus textbook, she set off down the hallway and stairs to the kitchen. She had to admit, her house was pretty big. Hardwood floors in the rooms but marble floors everywhere else. Several bedrooms, bathrooms and a couple of living rooms and kitchens. Grabbing a muffin and juice box, Angie ran towards the door.

"Always late for the bus," she mumbled. Yes, you heard her right. The bus. She simply loved public transit. Considering it took her over an hour to get to school, she always had plenty of time to read or do homework on the buses and trains needed to get her to school, even though her parents insisted on buying her a car. They even offered to buy her a used car, thinking the reason she didn't want one was because of how expensive they were. However, they quickly learned that she enjoyed public transit, although they never understood how anyone could enjoy that.

"Angie! Wait!" Her maid hollered from the kitchen. "I've prepared some meals that can easily be reheated when need be. They should last you for a few weeks, and I've left the phone numbers of restaurants in case you want take-out."

"Thanks, Marianne," beamed Angie. Everyone always looked out for her and she simply loved that everyone cared about her well-being. "I gotta go or I'll be late!" She yelled while running out the door.

"As per usual," sighed Marianne, rolling her eyes. "That girl needs better time management skills."

As Angie waited for the bus, her thoughts drifted back to her conversation with her parents. Adam? Why Adam? It's not that he was a bad person or anything, she just didn't take too fondly to him. Well, not just Adam, Angie didn't like most guys...or most people. Incompetence annoyed her. She disliked people who walked slowly, talked loudly, turned around suddenly in the middle of a busy street, people who asked too many questions, people who complained... Wow, a lot of things ticked her off. It's not that she was perfect, but she was always considerate of the people around her.

As the bus pulled up, Angie showed her bus driver her pass and sat down. Adam. She didn't have many guy friends, so living with one for the next four weeks would be kind of awkward. In fact, she was 21 and still hadn't had a boyfriend, or a first kiss, or any of that nonsense. Not that she didn't want it, she just never had to time to be in a relationship.

An hour later, she had finally arrived at school, with not a moment to spare and headed straight to calculus. After that, it would be inorganic chem, and her day would be over. Yup, 2 hours of school and she could leave. It didn't seem so bad, but she decided to take summer courses in order to get ahead and finish her degree quickly.

Her day passed by quickly, mostly because she found herself thinking about Adam. She was quite nervous thinking about how the next four weeks would play out. She figured she would talk to him when need be and go to her room for the rest of the time. She checked her phone _12:00pm_. She'd be home by one and would then have to face him. Great.

She rolled her eyes and began her hour long trip home, pulling out a book to pass her time. She figured she would leave her calculus homework until she got home, so she would have an excuse to not talk to him.

As the bus neared her home, she felt the butterflies begin to bombard her stomach. She got off and and walked the short distance home, clearly not missing a car parked in the driveway.

"Must be his," she muttered. The butterflies felt like they were having a war in her stomach. "Damn these nerves."

Putting her book close to her face, she trudged onto the grass of her home and up the stairs. Consumed by her thoughts, Angie neglected to see the pillar of her house in front of her and collided with it. Her books and bag were strewn across the stairs.

"God damn!" She yelled, as she scrambled to her feet, picking everything up.

Just as she was about to pick up her calculus book off the ground, the door swung open. Before she could even blink, the man in her home picked up her book and just stared at her. Her eyes instantly drifted to his other hand, which held a bottle of thick, red liquid. Her mind quickly connected the dots. _Blood._

"Hey Angie," he said, almost whispering. "It's been a long time."


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Thanks ****PbjRex! I really enjoyed your review (it meant a lot!) and I hope I answered your question in this chapter. However, I don't think I'll continue it much longer, as I didn't get reviews (other than yours) on my first chapter and I really don't want to spend a lot of time on something that may not be that good to many people :P**

Time must have been standing still, because to Angie, it felt like she had been standing in the doorway for hours. Her eyes never left his tall figure standing in front of her, and after what felt like an eternity, Adam took a step forward, reaching towards her. Angie couldn't help but flinch and take a step backwards, narrowly missing a stair. Something inside her finally clicked.

Reaching out towards his outstretched hand, Angie finally mustered up enough courage to speak.

"..textbook." She said through clenched teeth, voice low and deadly.

Grabbing the book, she pushed past him into her home, leaving Adam standing in the door completely dumbfounded. Hearing the door close behind her, Angie slightly turned her head to see him following her slowly into the kitchen. Okay, yeah, what she had just said was really lame. But in her defence, her books were like her children or her most prized possessions. She hated when anyone would lay a finger on them, even her parents.

As soon as she reached the kitchen, she tossed her books and bags on the counter, looking for something—anything to eat.

"You've been here for all of what? Five minutes? And you've already raided the blood supply that mom and dad brought specifically for you? I'm glad to see you've made yourself at home," she nodded her head towards the bottle in his hand. "They said it better last you your whole trip. However, I wouldn't be surprised to see it be finished by this time tomorrow night."

She opened the fridge and frowned. Her supply of "normal" people food had been replaced with bottles and bottles of the disgusting red liquid.

"Where did all of my food go?" She slammed the refrigerator door shut and whipped around to face Adam, shooting him an icy glare in the process. Boy, if looks could kill, he'd be dead by now. "Just because you're a vampire, doesn't give you the right to replace all of my food with yours," she rambled. "In case you've forgotten, I'm a human and I eat real food, not the garbage you've put in the fridge." Her voice was now showing how angry she was.

To any normal person, this conversation would beyond confusing, and one might consider Angie to be insane thinking. Adam a vampire? No way. However, in reality, Angie was perfectly sane. Adam had been a friend of the family for years, and had known Angie since she was a little over 8 years old. Yes, her family discovered he was a vampire, but she didn't know the details too well. All she knew was that he was very close to the family and whenever he was coming over, the fridge would be topped off with blood, specifically for him. She hated it, but tolerated it for the sake of her parents. Besides, he had never technically upset or harmed her in any way. She just didn't think too highly of vampires. Speed, strength, good looks, ability to do pretty much anything. In her opinion, blood drinking brought down any of those qualities immensely.

Adam cleared his throat, causing Angie to snap out of her thoughts.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, staring at the ground. "It didn't occur to me. I just thought it would be easier to have it up here and keep your food below mine." His gaze was fixated on the floor tile. For a normally big, strong, and proud guy, Adam looked awfully sad. Like a defenceless child being picked on by that jerk of a bully everyone hates.

Wait..what? Had she missed seeing her food in the fridge? Too embarrassed to check, Angie grabbed an apple off of the fruit plate, picked up her books and bag and headed towards the staircase up to her room.

Pausing at the foot of the stairs, she turned around and muttered "Yeah? Well, you thought wrong." It may have been too quiet for a person to hear, but she knew that he heard her loud and clear. She left Adam standing in the kitchen, staring where she had just been, feeling dejected.

Slowly beginning the walk to her room, Angie wondered why she had snapped at him. It's not like he had done anything wrong, but she still felt the need to be angry. Admittedly, she did use sarcasm and anger when she was in a situation she felt uncomfortable in, but she hadn't a need to feel uncomfortable around him. Not only anger, but now remorse was beginning to fill her. He looked genuinely upset as she left him in the kitchen. Forget it; she didn't have time to figure this out. More important things began flooding into her mind. Homework and studying were top priorities at this moment. The faster she got them out of the way, the more time she could dedicate to her old reliable friend, the TV. But first things first, she was in desperate need of a nap.

Finally reaching her room, she threw her things on the floor and collapsed on her bed, staring at the ceiling. After what felt like a few seconds, her eyelids became heavy, and she could feel herself drifting off to sleep. She loved to nap during the day, but the only thing she hated was that no matter how hot it may be outside, Angie would shiver without a blanket. Too tired to cover herself up, she curled into a ball to keep warm, but, as usual, she was still cold.

Almost 4:00pm. Great, just great. Angie had slept well past what she was hoping for. Normally, she would have woken up from being too cold and just given up on sleep. She yawned and stretched her arms, pushing off the blanket in the process... –Blanket? Had she covered herself up while she was asleep? Not unless she was a damn good sleepwalker. This blanket had come from the downstairs couch, when her dad covered her up while she fell asleep watching TV a few nights ago. She quickly realized Adam must've covered her whilst she slept. Perfect. Another reason to feel bad for snapping at him. She sighed.

"Done!" she shrieked happily. Three hours later and a pile of homework down, Angie had accomplished enough for the day to finally take a well deserved break. Her stomach growled loudly. "Wow, just in time," she giggled.

Hopping off her bed, she slowly opened her door and looked outside—nobody there. Once she was certain there was no one there by checking again and again, she set off quietly in the direction of the kitchen, turning around every couple of seconds to make sure no one was following her. Considering Adam was the only other person in the house, no one was technically only one person. Halfway there, she paused. What was she doing? This was her house and she had every right to stomp around like a herd of elephants if she so felt. No, she convinced herself she wasn't scared of running into Adam, but a part of her mind began to doubt that theory. Nonsense. She walked normally the rest of the way to the kitchen, only looking behind a couple of times.

Hey, she wasn't perfect. A couple is better than a million. '_So sue me,'_ she thought.

Finally arriving at the kitchen, she unconsciously walked over to the fridge and opened it. It was just a bad habit for her to walk there first. She immediately noticed her food had been put back and the blood was gone.

'_Great. Another reason to feel bad,'_ she thought.

Grabbing a drink, she turned around to set it on the table to prepare dinner.However, he beat her to it. On the table was a small box of pizza waiting for her. How did she know it was for her? It had a small note taped onto the top of the box.

'_Sorry for earlier. –Adam' _

Damn this vampire. He hadn't even been here for more than a few hours and he already had her feeling worse than she had felt in so long. She debated on whether or not to eat it. On one hand, if she ate it, she wouldn't need to make her own dinner, and he could maybe consider it as a form of forgiveness. On the other hand, if she didn't eat it, it would show him she was still angry. What was she angry over again? Him touching her book? That argument was lame and lost fast. She finally settled down to eat her dinner, unaware of him watching from the entrance to the kitchen—smiling hopefully. Maybe he had finally been forgiven.

After finishing dinner, Angie washed her dishes and threw away the garbage. Now was a great time to watch TV..in her own room. Even though the living room had a much larger TV, she wasn't going to risk it. She wasn't going to waste a successful and tiring day of avoiding Adam, only to have to face him because she wanted to watch _Nikita _or _Vampire Diaries. _Now that she thought about it, maybe it would be better if she watched the TV in her room to avoid him making fun of her for what she watched. Not taking any chances this time, Angie sprinted from the kitchen to her room and slammed the door shut.

"Success," she whispered happily.

Finally settling on the bed and turning on the TV, she picked up her apple from earlier and finally began to relax. Still a few minutes before her shows began, and as nerdy as it sounded, she was really excited to watch them. With her tension leaving her quickly, she finally began to feel at ease again. That is, until she heard a knock on her door. Watching it slowly open and _his_ head poke through, her heart felt like it had just dropped to the floor as he walked into her room, uninvited.

'_Great. Just great.' _She thought.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: PbjRex, you are awesome! Thanks for helping me out and keeping this story alive! **

**Thank you to you as well, Laura. I really appreciate your review! And I'm glad you enjoy it!**

**You guys are amazing! Thanks so much! **

With each silent step he took towards her, Angie could feel her heart pump faster and faster. Slowly sinking in her bed, Angie pulled her blanket up, covering everything but her eyes. This didn't go unnoticed by Adam, as he stopped dead in his tracks and frowned at the nervous girl in front of him. He didn't need his vampire senses to see how uncomfortable she seemed, so he took a step back towards the door. Clearly she felt uneasy in his presence because as he walked back towards the door, she pulled the blanket away from her face and sat up a little bit in her bed. A spark ignited within him. He was now determined to find out why she was afraid of him, and he was willing to do anything to gain her trust again, which, he somehow managed to lose by only saying a few words to her. Snapping out of his thoughts, he looked up to see he was back at the doorway he had just been at a few moments ago. Still wary of the pair of eyes on him, he caught her gaze and smiled. Her gaze shot away from him and searched desperately for something—anything to look at.

"Hey," he said, half-heartedly, still holding her gaze.

Failing to ignore his presence, Angie's gaze slowly went back to the man standing in her room. Still not able to look him in the eyes, she stared at the doorframe directly above him. It was a trick she learned from her friends. Because she was so shy, making eye contact was not something she could do easily. So, a friend taught her that if she looked a little bit above a person, it would _appear_ that she was making eye contact without actually doing it.

"H-h-hi," she whispered, mentally cursing herself. Of all times to begin stuttering, it had to be now. When she was nervous, she would stumble over her words and talk really quickly. She knew a lot people did that, but she had yet to meet one.

"So, I, uh, I see that you ate your dinner," he began, running a hand through his hair.

She nodded, slowly.

"Um, and that you washed your dishes." Taking his hand from his hair, he placed it on the doorframe, only to move it to his hair a fraction of a second later.

Were all vampires this awkward? She always knew Adam was a bit arrogant and never had an awkward moment in his life. But this, (as much as she was enjoying it) this was awkward. He couldn't stop fidgeting and it reminded her of those moments when you're sitting in class and your professor asks a question but no one answers and a dead silence ensues.

Yes, her life revolved around school and most of her analogies involved school. She was a dork that way, or so she was told.

He cleared his throat. "I –I mean, you didn't have to do them, I would have. But thank you for doing them," he finished, looking at the floor.

Boy, her floors must've been interesting. He never really looked anywhere else. She mentally rolled her eyes.

"It's the least I could do," she said, finally finding her voice, "after all, you did get my dinner. I never thanked you for that. So, uh thanks." She muttered the last part, looking at him.

With him looking at the floor, she found it much easier to look at him. However, that was short-lived, as his head shot up to look at her. This time, she didn't look away.

He shuffled his feet a little. This conversation felt weird, like the moment a mutual friend leaves the room, leaving two people who barely know each other to make small talk until said friend comes back.

"If you don't mind, I invited some of my friends over to watch the game. But like I said, only if you don't mind." The last part came out as a whisper.

Truthfully, she did mind. She didn't really like people coming over to her house. Heck, she barely invited her own friends over. Because her house was so big, she disliked showing it to people, fearing they would think she was some rich, arrogant snob.

"Your real friends or the other ones?" Weird question, she knew that much. However, because Adam was a vampire, and because he was kind of old, he couldn't wander around with the same group of people all the time. So, to curb this, every few years, he would get a 'new group' of human friends around his age. But, he did have his 'real friends' who were vampires just like him. They would meet, not often as they wanted, but enough to still know everything about each other.

"Real ones," he answered.

_Lovely, _she thought. Being stuck in a house full of vampires sounded just wonderful. Not to mention they were all guys, so she wouldn't really have anyone to talk to.

"No," she replied, "I don't mind." Not wanting to argue by telling him no, her eyes left his and returned to the TV, which was about to play her show.

"Thanks," he said, with a small smile.

She put the volume up for her show. _Vampire Diaries _was just starting, with the previous weeks clips showing. Angie heard a snicker come from her door. Three guesses who that was? This time, she didn't hide her eye roll. She looked over from her show and saw a laughing Adam looking at the TV and then at Angie.

"I can't believe you watch this," he laughed, noticing the look of irritation upon her face. "It's just that it's so—"

"I'm sorry, but don't you have somewhere to be?" She asked, half annoyed, half upset.

That shut him up instantly.

"Right, yeah. Well, if you need anything, don't hesitate to call me. I'm just downstairs, so not that far away..."

She missed the last part. When her shows were on, she had a tendency to ignore people. It wasn't her fault that some shows were so good.

"Mmhm, yeah, thanks," she muttered, vaguely feeling his presence leave the room.

Commercial break rolled around—a little too quickly in her opinion.

_Ah well, _she thought, _food time. _

Considering she hadn't eaten much today, and was on an emotional rollercoaster, she was entitled to eating junk food. Getting off her bed and tossing the apple aside, she stretched and headed towards the kitchen for the millionth time today.

Something in the back of her mind told her to stay away from the kitchen. Nothing good was happening there today. Well, as they say, third time's the charm.

Feeling a little more comfortable, she didn't feel the need to run or look over her shoulder like a paranoid freak anymore. As the approached the kitchen, Angie could see the living room and within it, she could see Adam moving the furniture around so his friends could see the game. Jeez, how many people was he expecting?

She headed back into the kitchen and pulled open the drawer she knew the chips were stored in, and sure enough, there they were. Pulling out a big bag, she ripped it open on the spot and pulled out a chip, not caring how loud she was being. After all, Mr. Vampire in the next room probably heard her coming the moment she got out of her bed, so he could surely hear her in the kitchen. Taking the bag with her, she walked to the fridge and pulled out a can of pop. She glanced around the room, and when she was certain she had everything, she twirled and headed back towards her room. The commercials were probably still running, so she knew she had a few more moments.

Turning off the light in the kitchen, as it had finally started getting dark outside, Angie skipped to the staircase, when it happened.

_The doorbell rang._

It wouldn't have been so traumatic if Angie wasn't standing right in front of it. She froze and stared at it, unsure of what to do. His friends were on the other end, as she could hear them laughing and yelling at each other. She felt like she was fighting a battle internally. Where the heck was Adam? Setting her food on the bottom step of the staircase, she walked towards the door and put her hand on the intricate, silver handle, about to open it.

_No, _she thought. _I should just go back to my room and let him deal with it_.

She knew she was chickening out, but she couldn't care less. Angie's hand was about to leave the handle and she turned to leave, but it felt as if a wall appeared behind her. A hand stretched out and covered her own, which was still latched onto the handle. She looked over to see Adam's chest flush with her back and, as her gaze shifted towards his face, she saw a small smile pull at his lips, as he slowly twisted handle to reveal the guests standing on the other side. Knowing that fighting him was not an option, she sighed heavily and shifted her body back towards the door.

_I officially hate doors and kitchens_, she thought bitterly, feeling her heart begin to race.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Sorry guys, school has me really busy (sadly, my university does summer school and I dislike it), so I haven't updated lately. I'll try to do 2 in the next week!**

**Once again, PbjRex, without your support, this story would've surely died, and for that, I thank you! I find if you describe those awkward moments, everyone has had them so can easily relate with the situations!**

**Empress Mimi, I really enjoyed your reviews! Yeah, she is a little dorky, but I wanted to keep her as normal as possible, and which university student doesn't have a little nerd in them (or a lot)? :P Also about the vampire being a secret thing—you'll find out later why I did what I did (so vague I know!)**

**But for now, I hope everyone enjoys this!**

No. No, she was not going to go out like this. Well, it's not like she was dying or anything. But this, it was comparable in her eyes. Her nerves were suddenly taking over and knots were twisting in her stomach. No, Angie decided she didn't want to be here, so she had to give one last ditch effort before that door swung open. This was going to take some serious effort, considering her legs felt like cement and her throat as if someone had stuffed a wad of cotton balls down it. But hey, she needed to try anyways. She began to squirm and jerk her arm away from the door to no avail. Adam took notice, but didn't seem fazed by her uneasiness.

"P-p-please..I-I mean I.." Her throat was beginning to ache and tears were threatening to spill from her eyes.

That seemed to have gotten attention. Immediately freezing, Adam loosened his death grip on Angie's arm and swung her around to face him.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked, concern lacing his normally calm face.

Angie looked up at his face, no longer able to keep her composure. Tears streaming from her eyes, she looked away, leaving Adam stunned at her sudden outburst. In all the fuss, she forgot about the guests outside, but didn't fail to notice how deathly quiet it was out there. They must've been listening. Stupid vampires and their stupid hearing.

"Angie, please look at me." Adam spoke softly, as if trying not to frighten her again.

She couldn't though. She just couldn't. From the corner of her eye, she could see his hand let go of hers and saw it reaching towards her face. Angie, on the other hand, had other plans and wasn't wasting this opportunity. As soon as his hand was a safe distance from hers, she pushed past him and ran towards the stairs. Not daring to look back, she left the food she had come down for on the foot of the stairs. Tears still spilling from her eyes, she failed to catch the top stair, even though she had used it several times before, and tripped. Flailing wildly, she tried to latch onto something before she hit the floor. Clearly luck wasn't on her side, as she felt a sharp pain rip through her arm as she hit the floor.

"ANGIE!" Adam screamed from the bottom of the stairs.

She wasn't giving him a chance to come help her. Grabbing her throbbing arm, she picked herself up and sprinted the distance to her room.

Finally reaching the comfort of her room, she pressed her back to the door as she closed it. She listened and tried to make sure she wasn't followed, but all she could hear was the pounding of her heart and the muffled sounds of his friends entering the home. When she was sure she was alone, Angie let herself go. She slid down against the door and let herself cry like she had never before. She hated crying in front of anyone; it made her feel weak, but it seemed acceptable now. Cradling her aching arm, she wished for nothing more than her parents to be with her.

After what felt like hours, Angie dragged her now weak body to her bathroom (which, luckily was in her bedroom), but regretted it the moment she looked into the mirror. Her normally straight, brown hair was a mess and strewn all around her face and her eyes were red and puffy. She bit her lip as she looked down to examine her arm. Fearing the worst, she held it up to the mirror, but was pleasantly surprised. The pain had subsided immensely and was replaced with a dull throb. The only physical damage she could see was a slight bruise beginning to form around her wrist. When she was certain that her arm wasn't fractured or broken, Angie washed her face and combed her hair out. Examining herself in the mirror until she was satisfied with the way she looked, Angie walked back into her bedroom, ready to get back to her shows. Exhaustion was clearly overtaking that plan, as all she could think about was curling up in her bed and going to sleep.

Too bad _he_ had other plans.

As soon as she swung the door open, Angie saw the familiar figure sitting on her bed, staring too intently at the TV. It would've been normal, if the TV wasn't off. He must've been deep in thought, as he didn't shift from his position when her door swung open. She closed the door to the bathroom—still nothing. Not wanting to be completely obvious, Angie quietly cleared her throat.

That got his attention immediately, as he sprung up from her bed, clearly caught off-guard.

"Angie, hey—" he cut himself off when he saw her.

He heard her crying from downstairs, but chose not to bother her, knowing he would upset her more. But now, he regretted it and hated himself for leaving her alone. He could now see how much her emotions had taken a toll on her. The girl he had seen earlier looked like she had been replaced with a zombie, with her bloodshot eyes and her expressionless face. Her small frame was slightly shivering and she looked like she needed sleep—badly. He gritted his teeth when he took notice of her arm. There was a bruise that would no doubt be darker in the morning lining her wrist.

He blamed himself.

Angie warily took a step towards her bed, wanting sleep that her body so badly craved. He didn't fail to notice and in an instant, fixed her bed so she didn't have to do it herself. Quickly finishing, he took a step back so he didn't block her path to the bed. But Angie didn't move. She glanced quickly from Adam to the bed, wanting to yell at him for what he did earlier, but she was too weak to do anything.

Admitting defeat, Angie hesitantly walked to her bed and crawled under the covers, closing her eyes. It wasn't very late, but she couldn't care less. Settling herself in, Angie could feel the blanket being pulled back and a cool touch on her bruised arm—undoubtedly it was Adam. After several minutes, his cool touch was replaced by the blanket and she could feel herself sinking deeper into sleep.

With the quiet murmurs coming from downstairs and the sun setting, Angie let go of reality and let the calm of sleep engulf her, but not before she heard a soft voice interrupt her thoughts.

"I'll make it up to you, I promise."


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Wow! I wasn't expecting that many reviews so quickly! I'm glad you all enjoy it! So, I made this chapter over twice as long as the last one and a lot sooner, as requested! =] I read them all, and don't worry, most (if not all) your questions will definitely be addressed in later chapters.**

**I think it's unfair to address you all as a collective group, as each comment meant a lot to me, but I don't want to swamp this story with AN's, so I shall do something about that. I'll tell you what it is when I find out what it is!**

**Enjoy :D**

A loud crash followed by uncontrollable laughter and cheering woke Angie from her peaceful slumber.

Angie rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she tried to form a coherent thought, but came up short. However, she was surprised, as the laughing and cheering was quickly silenced by an even louder, angrier voice. Even though she was on the second floor, and as far away from the living room as possible, this voice was only _slightly_ muffled. The next part however, was not missed by Angie.

"I SAID TO SHUT THE HELL UP! I SWEAR TO GOD IF SHE WAKES UP BECAUSE OF YOU, IT'S YOUR HEAD THAT'S COMING OFF!"

Silence.

She recognized that voice in a heartbeat. Adam. She couldn't help but roll her eyes at his pathetic attempt. Even if their crashing, laughing and cheering didn't wake her up, his voice surely would have. And these vampires were supposed to be smart.

More silence.

This was one of those moments where tumbleweed needed to roll by. If it was awkward up here, she couldn't imagine how much worse it must've been down there. Not to mention how much _louder_ it must've been as well.

_Well, it's the thought that counts, _she mused. _At least he tried..._

She stopped herself quickly. No, she wasn't feeling sympathy towards this vampire. No, she was simply tired. Right, she was tired. Let's go with that.Angie tried to stifle a giggle as another thought occurred to her, but failed horribly. Were vampires supposed to 'swear to god?' It seemed like a silly thought to her and a bit of an empty threat. Wow, she must've been really tired, but it amused her nonetheless.

What time was it? Well, considering it was dark in her room it surely must've been _at least_ one in the morning. Angie rolled over and reached out to grab her phone off of the nightstand. As she waited for her phone to turn on, fear began to take over her body. Her bruised arm felt rough, like her skin was peeling off. Reaching out, and fearing the worst, she gently prodded her finger around the tender area as her brow furrowed. After several worrying seconds, a sigh of relief passed her lips, realizing the real culprit was a cloth bandage wrapped tightly around the sore spot. As she wracked her memory to remember when Adam must've done it, the vibration of her phone snapped her out of her thoughts.

She squinted to shield her eyes from the bright light of her phone. _9:30 PM_. She sighed again as she set her phone down in its rightful place. She rubbed her temples angrily, trying to ease the stress of day she had apparently just dealt with. Had all that madness really taken place in only a few hours? The cheering must've meant the hockey game was ending, or close to ending, by looking at the time. Well, unless it was overtime. That would explain the cheering as well.

She didn't mind watching hockey, as Vancouver was one of those hockey crazed towns. You had to know the game, or you'd be missing out on pretty much all conversation. Because they had also made the playoffs gave the town more of a reason to go crazy. You couldn't walk five feet without seeing someone in a jersey or talking about the game. Angie wasn't as crazed as most people though, but she did have extensive knowledge about the game thanks to her father. No, she didn't own a single jersey. But her father more than made up for that. His total was sitting at 12. Who the heck needed that many jerseys? She also didn't manage to incorporate 'Canucks' into every other word she spoke, thankfully. That was Vancouver's equivalent of a teenage girl using the word 'like' as every other word when speaking. Amusing, but slightly irritating.

The awkward silence was quickly replaced by soft murmurs of Adam's friends again. She felt slightly better. Hold that thought. Better? It's not like she had done anything to cause Adam to yell. But...part of her still felt terrible. He wouldn't have yelled if she wasn't asleep...

_WOW, _she thought. _I need to go back to sleep and try this again._

She just needed a moment to compose herself.

That was short lived, however, as her stomach growled loudly.

_You would do this to me now_, she thought, slightly annoyed.

Yawning, Angie slowly sat up and stretched out her limbs. She made a mental note to thank Adam for the bandage. At least she couldn't do more damage to it with it being wrapped up. And the pressure of it helped ease the throbbing sensation. Biting her bottom lip, she gingerly put her feet on the ground, afraid the vampires would hear her getting up.

Her stomach growled again. At this point, she couldn't care less. Standing up, she stretched out again and looked around her room. Even though it was dark, she still knew where everything was like the back of her hand. _Her room_ was like her safe haven. She spent all of her last summer redoing it with her parents to her liking. All she had requested was for it to be painted yellow, but her parents wouldn't leave it at that. Of course they wouldn't. Why would they? Parents always meddled, but Angie didn't mind it. In fact, she kind of liked it.

Her room was big and spacious and exactly what she needed. She had a massive study desk placed in one corner and a fairly big TV placed directly off to the side of it. Her parents never had a problem with her watching TV as she studied, mostly because they knew she never did. One door led to her closet, which she hardly used. She preferred her clothes strewn over her floor—it was much easier to pick an outfit in the morning that way. As much as she liked a clean room, it always would become messy the next day, no matter how hard she tried. So, with her parents and the house staff gone, Angie would have to work extra hard to keep it clean. Another door led to her bathroom, and a big window accompanied by a window seat was located on the opposite side of the room from her desk. She smiled again at how lucky she was. A couple of movie posters were littered across her walls, but even though it was dark, she knew exactly where they were located.

Her bed was the best thing about her room. It was massive and covered in a white on black bedspread that was printed to look like a bunch of news clipping from around the world. One could even read the headlines if they wanted. Hey, at least it kept her entertained when she was bored.

Then fear hit her like a freight train. She realized what she was doing and she hated it. _Stalling. _

Why should she be afraid? I mean, it wasn't like there were a bunch of vampires in her home. She really needed to work on not using sarcasm. Granted, they all drank that stupid bottled blood and she didn't really have much to fear. If they wanted to kill her, they would've done it by now... right? But, Adam wouldn't kill her. What if this this was a plan? Maybe this was a setup. But no way would her parents allow him to stay if they didn't trust him. Maybe they were in on it.

_Alright, you've officially gone off the deep end, _she thought to herself. _Way WAY off the deep end._

Angie looked back towards her bed, yearning to crawl back in, but she knew that if she didn't satisfy her obnoxious stomach, she wasn't going to sleep at all. When she was hungry, she could eat like her stomach was a bottomless pit. Luckily, she never put on a pound.

_Thank you for good genes._

As she leaned back to stretch herself out for a final time, the floor creaked.

Well, if they didn't know she was up before, they sure as hell did now. No turning back now. She slowly left the comfort of her room and headed back towards the dreaded stairs. When her parents came back, she was demanding they put a fridge in her room. Or, a drawer stuffed with food would suffice as well.

Angie could hear the voices grow louder as she approached the top of the stairs. Her mind drifted back to the food she had left there earlier. She half-expected it to not be there. And to her dismay, she was right.

_Of course not. Why would it be? That would be too easy, and we can't have that now can we? _She thought angrily.

Yeah, she really needed to work on that sarcasm. She slowly began her descent, trying not to repeat the incident from earlier again. Experience taught her that falling down the stairs was a thousand times worse than falling up the stairs. She wasn't the most graceful person, but she was far from clumsy as well. Everyone fell on the stairs at least once...or twelve times.

Making it down the stairs in one piece and without further injuries accidents, Angie walked into the kitchen..again. However, this time she didn't look into the living room, afraid that someone would be looking back. Thankfully, they didn't seem to take much notice to her, as they talked and laughed normally. Although she figured they knew she was awake. How? They were much louder than they were earlier, and Adam wasn't screaming like a madman at them.

Angie had a plan of attack this time. She wasn't leaving the kitchen _until_ she had eaten. This way, if someone made her angry or nervous, she could at least run away with a full stomach. Pulling out a stool from the island in the middle of her kitchen, Angie thought about what to eat. She rummaged through the cupboards until she stumbled across a bag of cookies. Satisfied, she poured herself a glass of milk, and proceeded to eat her snack, alone.

Finishing an entire row of chocolate chip cookies, she started on the next row absentmindedly. The good thing about being an only child was that she could find ways to keep herself entertained. Mostly, she did it by thinking. She never ran out of things to think about, and could do it on hours for end if not bothered. Her parents always admired her for that, never failing to remind her how easy of a child she was to raise. She would sit quietly if told to and had the ability to concentrate on tasks far beyond that of a normal child. That didn't go without jealously from a few parents, but that was expected. Her parents always said they knew she would grow up to be intelligent. But, without them, she knew she wouldn't be half of what she was today, and loved them greatly for it.

As she was halfway through the second row, Angie didn't notice Adam walk into the kitchen. Her gaze was fixed on the countertop and he immediately knew she was deep in thought. He smiled as he quietly walked over to the fridge to grab the beers he had stored there earlier for easy access. He worried that Angie would be upset had she had seen it. But, considering she didn't come raging into the living room raising hell and screaming at him for it, he decided it must not have bothered her.

Slowly closing the door to not interrupt her, he turned around quietly to see the girl staring curiously at him. He mentally cursed himself for breaking her out of her thoughts. It seemed like he was doing everything wrong to the poor girl today. But..she didn't seem upset. She still appeared to be tired, but overall, she had looked a lot better than when he left her to sleep earlier. This thought eased him a little.

He was unsure of what to say, but by looking at her, he thought it would be safe to speak without her falling apart.

"How are you feeling?" he whispered to her.

She didn't fall apart, but she didn't respond either. He decided that was a good sign and would've breathed a sigh of relief, but decided against it, afraid of irritating her. He really felt like he was stepping on eggshells to keep her calm.

He waited, hoping she would respond, but as each silent second ticked by, he realized his hopes were fleeting quickly. Well, he was making some progress..sort of. No point in stopping now.

"So..the game's in overtime. Did you want to come watch it with us? You're more than welcome to if you so choose."

Still nothing.

Her earlier suspicion about the game was right. She didn't look away, however. Her gaze held his, not wavering for a second. Boy, was this girl ever determined.

"Well, it's a pretty good game. And it's intermission, so we can fill you in if you come watch it." He tried again, desperately hoping for her to say something.

She didn't.

Her gaze slowly left his and returned to the countertop. That's when he knew he had lost her. She wasn't upset, just uninterested. He took it as slight progress.

"If you do change your mind, you know where to find us." And with that, he quietly left the kitchen.

Angie looked up to where he was standing mere seconds ago. Of course she knew where to find him. After all, it was her damn house. She sighed again and put the cookies back in their packaging. At least she didn't go on an emotional rollercoaster when spoke to her. That was her form of progress.

Getting up slowly from her seat, she placed the cookies back in the cupboard and drank the last of the milk. Washing the glass and cleaning the crumbs off the counter, Angie looked around the empty kitchen. It was awfully quiet, and she felt kind of lonely. She never went this long without talking to someone. If her parents weren't around, she would talk to the staff that worked in her home. Her family didn't really view them as maids or cooks. They were their friends. Angie would normally strike up a conversation with them when she felt like it. She even would help clean on occasion, but would cause more of a mess than anything. So, instead of creating more work, she would just enjoy the friendly conversations. Her house always had that warm, loving feel. Maybe that's why she felt so upset. She was just lonely and missing everyone. She just wasn't used to Adam, and she had a feeling she wouldn't be anytime soon.

The more she thought about it, the lonelier she became. Not wanting to cry anymore, Angie tried to think of a something to distract herself. Well, she could go watch the game with Adam and his friends. They seemed to be having a good time, and it would serve as a good distraction. And it would also show that she had forgiven him for earlier. And she would at least know what the topic of the day would be in the city tomorrow. It was a win-win..win situation.

She grabbed a lock of her hair and began twisting it with her fingers. This was just one of many nervous habits. It wouldn't hurt to pop in for a few minutes. She hesitated for a few minutes and weighed her options. Going there was beating not going by a long shot.

After an internal battle, 'not going' was lying dead on the ground with an arrow through its back. Did she mention she had quite the imagination? Making up her mind, she decided she would just catch the ending of the game without making much conversation. Then, she would bolt out of there and not have to worry about feeling bad.

She crept out of the kitchen and switched off the light, determined to keep her plan of watching this game. Tip-toeing to the living room, she could see several figures, all laughing and seeming to be having a good time. Luckily, it was still intermission. She knew from experience that walking into a room full of men when a sports game was on was like signing your own death certificate. It's one of those things you just don't do. She could relate well though. Mess with her during her shows, and all hell would be raised. She stopped as reached the entrance of the living room, slowly taking in her surroundings in the process.

"Adam?" Angie hesitantly whispered.

_Bad move._

All eyes in the room were on her in an instant.

"Angie?" Adam asked, quickly turning away from the conversation he was having with a couple of his friends a few seconds ago.

_Maybe this was a bad idea after all, _she thought nervously.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Sorry guys! This one was freakishly slow, but between school and work, I haven't had much time to update. Let me know what you guys think!**

**Thank you all so much for your reviews! They keep me going, ya know? ;)**

**I hope you guys enjoy it! Review are always welcome!**

Bad idea indeed. Maybe it would be wise to leave right now. At least she would still have her dignity intact—well, mostly intact.

She hesitated and took a step back, eyes shifting back to the comfort of floor, where all eyes that were on her could no longer be seen. Although she couldn't see them, she could still _feel_ them. She felt as though a snarky comment was needed, but courage seemed to escape her at this very moment.

As she stepped back yet again, she felt a looming presence standing in front of her. She didn't even need to guess to know who it was. Slowly, she peeked up to steal a glance at the man standing in front of her. Yup, you guessed it. It was Adam. However, a piece of her (albeit a _very small _piece) felt relieved it was him and not one of his friends.

"What're you doing here?" He whispered. Although, she didn't know why he was whispering, as she knew they heard every word he was saying, whether he was whispering or screaming at the top of his lungs.

"I-I thought you said I could join you, and I was a little bored, so I decided to come. But, if I'm intruding, or if you didn't really want me here and you were just being nice..Oh god I feel so stupid. I can leave if you want. No..no I'll just go. I'm sorry..I didn't mean to."

Now she was just rambling. God, she felt like an idiot. He was just being nice to her! Why couldn't she see that? Ugh, no matter how intelligent she was in school, common sense seemed to always escape her. To make matters worse, she would feel her face get warm...which meant she was blushing.

Now coming here really was a bad idea.

Adam obviously caught on and quickly silenced her.

"Hey, hey slow down," he said smiling.

A genuine smile was plastered to his face. She had finally spoken more than a couple words and he was elated.

"It's not that I don't want you here. In fact, I'd really like it if you joined us. I just was a little surprised to see you here, that's all. Please don't assume you weren't wanted. But, if you do want to leave, you may. My offer still stands though."

His no longer needed to whisper, as conversation returned to normal in the room behind him, and the TV volume was blasted. She was thankful they caught her feeling of awkwardness. If they were listening, they were doing an amazing job of not showing it.

She considered his offer again. On one hand, she could just leave and not worry about making an idiot..well MORE of an idiot of herself. On the other hand, she really needed company, and this was the only option available to her at the moment.

She was deep in thought, staring straight ahead at..well him, considering he was blocking the view of everything else.

"Angie?" He said softly, trying not scare her.

"I think...I think I'd like to stay. If you don't mind," she muttered, feeling the blush creep back to her face.

"Of course I don't mind!" He exclaimed. A little too enthusiastic for Angie's taste, but he was beaming and looked like a kid in a candy store. How can anyone say no to that?

Adam stepped aside to reveal the living room, and her insides began to sink. Everyone was looking at her once again. Her eyes nervously searched for a place to look to avoid their gazes, but she was quickly failing.

Just as the thought of leaving crept into her thoughts for the millionth time, Angie _felt_ something on her back. She looked over to her left to see Adam staring back at her with a reassuring smile. And it was _his_ hand that was gently placed on her lower back. Now normally, she would have screamed and yelled at the person touching her to the point where they were mentally scarred. She hated physical contact...it just wasn't her thing. Hugs, handshakes, kisses all repulsed her. Sometimes a high five would be justified, but those only lasted a fraction of a second. However, this, _THIS_ was different. It was almost calming..almost.

"Guys..this is Angie. Some of you may remember her from way back when," Adam said. He seemed almost proud to Angie. She mentally rolled her eyes.

She was greeted with a few smiles, hand waves and a couple of 'hellos.' After that, they all returned to their normal conversation. They all seemed friendly enough. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

"Are you doing alright?" He asked quietly.

She looked up at him once again. Trying to maintain eye contact, she nodded. She needed to prove to herself and him that she wasn't nervous. It was working—to an extent. She still felt a tad nervous, but she could still feel her confidence easily overtake that.

Adam dropped his hand from her back and led her to where he was seated several minutes earlier. As they approached, Adam's friend quickly got up from the recliner that he was sitting on—which was conveniently located next to the couch Adam was sitting on.

"Oh," she muttered. "You didn't have to do that. It's okay..I'm okay..I can easily sit on the floor..or a chair."

Both Adam and his friend laughed.

"How rude would I be if I didn't move and offer you my seat?" Said the unknown friend, who was still laughing at her comment. "Besides, those guys are annoyingly loud. I'd probably punch them if I didn't move anyways." He was smiling, and Angie guessed he was picturing punching said friends in the face by the amused look he had on his face.

Angie couldn't help but smile back.

"I'm Chris by the way." He stretched out his hand, clearly for Angie to shake.

It felt a bit formal, but she shook hands with him anyways for the sake of Adam and not trying to be rude. Besides, he was being really friendly, and she would seem like a complete jerk if she ignored him.

"Angie," she said politely to him.

He laughed again. "I know. Adam was just telling-"

He stopped abruptly. That amused look slowly leaving his face, being replaced by a wicked smirk. However, he said nothing else, and the amused look quickly returned.

Angie turned to look at Adam, but as she did, his gaze quickly shifted from Chris' back to her. She could've sworn she saw a look of anger on his face, but considering he was doing nothing but smiling, Angie quickly dismissed her earlier thought.

"Anyways, thank you for the seat," she said calmly, looking back towards Chris as she spoke.

"No worries."

And with that, he moved away from them quickly, easily squeezing himself into a loud card game that was taking place on the table in the middle of the room. At the rate they were going, she could only imagine the fighting that would ensue if someone were to lose right now. She smiled at the thought.

"Would you like to sit here?" Adam asked, pointing to the chair, but also taking in the game at the same time.

"I don't mind. I'm okay anywhere," she said quietly. If he were a human, he would never be able to hear her over the screaming and cheering that just erupted from the game. Someone must've won or something..

She quickly took her seat as the game ended, and everyone slowly returned to their seats. Chris managed to fit between two more friends. She was thankful for that.

"Did you want us to fill you in?" Another one of Adam's friends chimed in as he was grabbing a bottle of beer off of the table.

Angie quickly looked to Adam, who was staring absentmindedly at the TV. Of all the times he chose to not pay attention, this had to be one of them.

"I..um sure?" It came out as more of a question, but he understood the point. And apparently so did everyone else. As the friend tried to recap the game, almost everyone in the room had to add their thoughts and opinions to every play and call that was made. It was almost overwhelming to keep up.

Angie looked back again at Adam. His eyes slowly shifted away from the TV back to her, an amused look now appearing on his face. He held her gaze for a second and looked towards everyone in the room. They seemed to have forgotten the recap and were now arguing amongst themselves about the game. For a bunch of twenty something year old _looking_ men, they sure were acting immature and stupid. But then again, weren't all men like this during sports games?

Adam reached for a new beer himself and as he did, he yelled "Enough!"

That silenced everyone quickly.

"Great job on the recap guys," he said, taking his seat again.

More silence.

"Would you like another recap?" Adam asked politely, turning towards Angie again. "But this time, I'm sure people will regret interrupting it, so that shouldn't be a problem," he said coolly, never looking away from Angie.

"I'm fine. Thanks," she said worriedly, afraid he would hurt someone if they interrupted by accident.

Adam had a long drink from his bottle as his friends laughed.

"He wouldn't hurt a fly." This time it was Chris, who smiled and winked at Angie.

"I would if you provoked me enough," replied Adam.

He got a couple of nods of agreement from his companions. Who wouldn't get upset if they were being provoked enough?

She was intrigued. These guys could go from joking around to dead serious in a matter of seconds.

Adam offered her a drink, but smartly offered her a non-alcoholic beverage. He knew she had never touched the stuff, and wasn't about to offer it to her now.

She took the bottle of coke from his outstretched hand, and slowly unscrewed the cap, not ever hesitating once. She gently took a sip and warily stared around at his friends. Nobody was looking at her, so she took this an opportunity to see his friends. Some faces were familiar, most were not. Angie counted ten friends, including Adam, all staring intently at the TV. The game was back on, so she knew she wouldn't be bothered for a while. Overtime was dangerous though. The game could end at any second, so she divided her attention between the game and her guests.

Each of them held a beer and looked as normal as any other group of guys hanging out. You'd never be able to tell any of them was a vampire from the way they acted or moved, or were currently lounging. They all seemed so..normal, except for their looks. They were all fairly tall, each of them easily clearing 6 feet. One could see they didn't spend every minute in the gym, but they were FAR from scrawny. They all looked fairly strong and well built...just not the muscle headed bodybuilder look. Jeans, shorts and t-shirts was the outfit of choice for all of them. They all looked so well put together. She wondered how many girls they all had falling at their feet. What if they all hung out together on a regular basis like they were now? They must've caused a ruckus amongst girls if they hung out in public like that. Angie rolled her eyes for real this time. She wasn't easily fazed by looks.

As she scanned each one of them, her eyes finally rested on Adam. He was just as focused on the game as everyone else, but occasionally looked over to make sure she was alright. Angie smiled at him when he looked over again. He smiled back and returned to the game again.

When standing next to him, Angie knew he was tall. Angie guessed he was 6'4." He was one of the taller ones in the group. If she was standing next to him, she had to crane her neck to look up at him. He looked just as strong as his friends, if not stronger. Even though his shirt was somewhat loose, Angie could still see he had quite a few muscles on him. His brown hair was short, and (Angie thought) suited him. His eyes were a blue—almost grey coloured and his face had a rugged look. He also had that "5 o'clock shadow" that added to his look. If one didn't know any better, they would assume he looked about 27. With a pain of dark blue jeans and a grey plaid shirt, he looked just as normal as any other guy..just a lot more attractive. She realized most people couldn't pull off plaid..but it made him look like ...a lumberjack.

She giggled at the thought.

Adam looked quickly over at her and smiled, almost as if he knew what she was thinking.

That wasn't their skill was it? If it was..she sure as hell was embarrassed right now.

She wracked her memory. Nope, she remembered her parents telling her what he could and could not do. Mind reading was NOT one of them.

Satisfied she was in the clear, Angie leaned back and finally began relaxing. She finally started to watch the game, but for some reason, she found her attention waning. She yawned and could feel herself nodding off as the game progressed. She was so comfortable with the buzz of the TV and the occasional commentary from Adam and his friends that it wasn't a surprise she was still tired. This had to still be the most exhausting day in her life. She placed her drink on the table beside her and tried desperately to stay awake. After several attempts, sleep began to win the battle, and Angie let herself nod off.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Hey guys! It's been...A LONG TIME. And if any of my original readers are here, I'm so so SO sorry! **

A loud crash ripped through the large home, destroying any last trace of the deafening silence that was there only seconds before. Loud enough to tear her from her dreams, Angie sat up startled. Still trying to gather her thoughts and comprehend her surroundings, Angie felt around her bed, attempting to look for her phone. Failing miserably, she gave up and lay back down, still trying to compose herself.

Hold on a sec...her bed? How did she wind up in her bed? Last she remembered she had fallen asleep on the couch downstairs. There was no way she had carried herself up the stairs and into her bed. One thought crossed her mind.

"Adam. That son of a –"

She was quickly cut off the by faint buzzing of her phone. At least she had a general idea of where the sound was coming from. She shot up, desperately looking for source of that incessant buzzing.

Finally finding it, Angie hurriedly answered it, fearing her friend would hang up. If she was impatient, you should see her friends. But, Angie liked it that way.

"H-Hello?" She asked, with her voice sounding raspy and ridden with sleep.

"Where the hell are you?" Shrieking and clearly angry, her closest (and oldest) friend Katie had a touch of worry to her tone. "You didn't show up, and class starts in 20 minutes. Are you..is everything okay?"

"Nice one, Katie. But I'm not falling for it this time."

Katie had a bit of a reputation of playing pranks on anyone who would fall for them. Typically, Angie made for the perfect target. She'd constantly call Angie on weekends to let her know she was late for school, or jump out from behind corners and scare the living hell out of Angie. The best one was when Katie had taken all of Angie's textbooks and "highlighted" the text with a black marker. Always one step behind, Angie wasn't falling for it this time.

"Angie, I swear. This isn't a joke. Look at your stupid clock, calendar, phone, or whatever. You're going to be late. Hurry the heck up! That huge assignment's due today!"

Panic quickly sank it. Pulling her phone back, Angie worriedly looked at the date.

Her stomach sank.

It was a Wednesday, she had class and Katie wasn't kidding.

"I'm..I'll..I mean I'm coming," she stuttered, while fumbling to hang up the phone.

The large crash tore through the house again. Angie quickly got up and pulled her curtain back, just in time to see a large streak of lightning shredding through the dark sky. It was followed quickly by the rumbling of the thunder. Luckily, it hadn't started raining yet.

Not having time to admire the storm occurring outside, Angie ran around her room, tripping over things trying to find the cleanest clothes she could. Nothing mattered to her right now other than getting to school and handing in that assignment she spent weeks on. Not even the thought of Adam picking her up and carrying to her room. No, it didn't matter _now_, but there sure as hell was going to be a fight tonight.

Brushing her hair, and taking one quick look in the mirror to make sure everything was okay, Angie grabbed her bag, stuffed in her assignment and raced for the door, being a little mindful of her wrist as she did so. The pain wasn't as intense today, but it was still there, mentally reminding her every single time she twisted it or tried to strain it. Mentally reminding her of him every time she looked at. She'd rip off the bandage when she had the chance

"Keys, keys, WHERE ARE MY KEYS?" She didn't mean to scream—she hardly ever did, but today was turning out to be one of those bad days.

Those days that you know right from waking up is going to be a living nightmare, and nothing's going to go right. That's the type of day where you just want to crawl up and sleep until it's over. Unfortunately, she knew where this day was going and was mentally preparing herself for the hardship.

"Forget it," she whimpered in defeat.

Knowing Adam was home, she wasn't too worried about someone sneaking in and stealing anything. Adam would be better than any alarm system or guard dog anyone could have, and with the little time she had for searching, Angie decided leaving the door unlocked just this once would be fine. He had a brain—if he didn't see the door was unlocked, her theory of vampires being the inferior race would be proven correct.

"No time to dwell on his stupidity..I only have 10 minutes to get there and I didn't even get breakfast," she sighed.

There was no way she'd make it there in 10 minutes.

Pulling the door open with her good hand, Angie looked out, and to her dismay, it was pouring rain.

"Rain? Thunder? Lightning? Of course. On the one day no one's home and I don't know where the umbrella's are."

It didn't matter, it was just rain. Taking a step out, Angie was stopped by a voice—_his_ voice.

"Angie? Is everything okay?" It was evident he had been asleep too..or really quiet. She didn't remember vampire sleep habits very well.

"I'm fine," she muttered through clenched teeth, without looking back at him. Still looking at the pouring rain, she could feel his eyes boring into her back.

"Are you sure? It's pouring outside, and it doesn't look like you have an umbrella. Do you need a ride? I can probably get you there faster—and it'll be warmer." She sensed a hint of worry in his tone.

"I said I'm fine. I don't need your stupid ride," she shot back.

Not looking back once, she slammed the door shut and stormed out.

He was right. The car would've been faster. He wasn't kidding about the warm part either. How did it go from being hot and humid, to freezing cold in one day? Looking at her watch, she realized she had a few minutes left before the bus arrived. And boy was she hungry.

Crossing the street, she stood under the uncovered bus stop. It wasn't really a proper bus stop, it was just a pole. She had seen nicer ones with benches and covered areas. For living in such a nice area, this pole was kind of a stupid idea. Then again, no one in this area really took the bus anywhere. The bus drivers even knew her name..that's how deserted these stops were.

The rain only took a matter of seconds to soak her from head to foot. Time for basic math! What do you get when you have one girl minus one umbrella and a jacket? Angie. She stood there sopping wet, frustrated with herself because her ego was too big to accept a ride from the one person who was trying to help her.

Angie gazed back at her house. It was a merely a few steps away from the house. Without her parents and house staff, it just looked empty. It was just a house, not a home.

Tears filled her eyes as she stared at her home, her parents consuming every thought she had right now. They were only a phone call away, but she didn't want to call them while crying. They'd panic and hurry home, and she wanted to show she was strong enough without them.

Truthfully, she wasn't. Her heart ached for them. That's when she started to cry. Thank god it was raining, or she would look like a complete fool right now. Whenever she had a bad day, her mom would be right there, holding her and comforting her. Her father was usually saying something to get a laugh out of her, and it normally worked. She wiped her eyes. The bus was late today.

_Perfect, _she thought.

That's when she lost full control of her emotions.

What Angie didn't know was Adam watching her from the large window in the living room, pained at watching her cry.

No matter what he did, it was always the wrong thing. When he thought he was on the right track, or starting to get along with her, she'd shut down again, or push him out. That thought angered him. Turning away from the window, he slammed his fist into the wall, cracking it in the process.

"DAMNIT!" He yelled angrily.

With anger bubbling through him, he paced through the living room. He knew if he went out and offered her a ride, she would probably be stubborn and decline again. But watching her cry in the pouring rain was ripping him apart inside. He needed an idea. After a moment, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

Angie stared up the street again, hopeful the bus would finally be turning that corner. After she was convinced it wasn't coming, she grabbed her soaking wet backpack, wiped her eyes (although it did not help with the rain) and started running for the next bus stop. It was a few blocks away, but that bus came a lot more frequently, and the chances of it not showing were slim to none.

The only thing running through Angie's mind was getting to class and handing in that assignment. Her professor absolutely adored her, so she knew he probably wouldn't mind if she was late to get to class—but she had to get there before it ended.

The pouring rain and her loud footsteps hitting the wet pavement were the only things Angie could hear. It was eerily dark and quiet for a Wednesday morning. It didn't matter though, as her pace never faltered while she ran. It was kind of peaceful.

It _was. _

As she was running, Angie heard a car slowly driving behind her. Afraid to look back in fear of there being an axe-wielding psycho driving in the car behind her, Angie ran faster. But with her bag being heavy and her physically drained body, Angie couldn't run for much longer.

To her relief, the car drove past her...but to her horror, pulled over a good 20 feet in front of her. Not recognizing the vehicle, Angie stopped dead in her tracks. Deciding whether she should run back to the home or cross the street and keep going, Angie had to think fast. The door to the car was opening, and she was sure at any second, a creepy, old, bald man would pop out, ready to kidnap her. Taking a step back, Angie watched the large figure hop out from the car.

"Angie?" The figure yelled, a sigh of relief escaping him as he ran up to her.

Chris.

It was then that she realized every muscle in her body was tensed and ready to run. She released her breath, as she just realized she wasn't breathing. Relaxing herself, she ran over to him, tears threatening to spill over the edges of her eyes again.

He came over and grabbed her, smothering her in a hug.

_Screw the rules, _she thought. Right now, she probably would've kissed him from the happiness she was feeling.

"Angie, I..wow, you look terrible," he joked, pushing her back to examine her a bit more.

Taking his jacket off, he quickly wrapped her shivering frame up and lead her back to his car.

"Is it okay if I drive you to school?" he asked, concern lacing his face.

"It's okay," she whispered through chattering teeth.

He grabbed her bag, and even though it was soaking wet, tossed it in the back seat. Opening the passenger door, he patiently waited for her to climb in. When she was settled, he shut her door and was back in the driver's side before she had a chance to blink.

He gingerly handed her a coffee cup labelled "hot chocolate" and a small brown bag. Looking up at hi, she peeked into the bag and saw a large muffin.

And that's when she began crying again.

Taken aback at her sudden outburst, he patted her head, afraid to ask what was wrong. He had been filled in by Adam about her "loose-cannon" emotions. Throwing caution to the wind, he asked, preparing himself for a crazy outburst like he had warned her about. Instead, she wiped her eyes with the back of his sleeve and looked up at him.

"I'm late, and I have this massive assignment due," she whispered, pointing to the backseat where her backpack was lying.

Either Adam was a compulsive liar, or this girl was bipolar.

He laughed.

She was shocked at his reaction.

"What?" she said, a little more confident with herself.

"Is that all?" he said, grinning from ear to ear.

She nodded.

A devilish grin crossed quickly replaced his grin.

"Well, if that's all, then hold on." He pushed his car into gear and shot down the street at an alarming speed.

Angie knew this car was built for speed, after all, she did know vehicles pretty well, but she had never actually been in a car going this fast. Her dad had always called it reckless, dangerous and stupid; she had always agreed. But right now, she didn't care. She needed to get to school, and at the rate Chris was going, she'd be there in 10 minutes flat.

She quietly took a sip of her warm drink, relishing the feeling of warmth filling her cold, aching body.

They pulled up to a red light, but Chris was showing his impatience, revving the engine every few seconds.

"That's not going to make the light turn any faster," she snapped while looking out her window, frustrated with the uncomfortable vibrations shaking the car when he did that.

"Hey Ang, may I ask you a question?"

She slowly turned away from the window to look at him. A deathly glare was strewn against her face. Nicknames—she hated them with a passion, and even though he was being nice to her, he sure as hell wasn't getting a free pass with nicknaming her.

"Woah, okay sorry. Jeez, sorry. No nicknames. I got it."

Pleased with his ability to catch on quick, her face turned to reflect her curiosity.

"Depends. What's your question?"

He sighed, raking his hand through his drenched hair. He felt sorry for her. He had been in the rain for a few seconds. She was out there for...well he didn't quite know. She was dripping from head to toe though. All he knew was one moment he was catching some sports highlights and the next he was getting a panicked call from Adam, trying to frantically explain the situation to him. Normally Adam was pretty composed. Chris hadn't heard that worry his tone in centuries, so he genuinely felt worried himself and agreed to help. He was surprised Angie didn't ask where he came from or why he was just casually strolling down her street. But, he knew she was smarter than that.

_Probably already connected the dots herself on that one, _he thought.

"Hello?" she whispered, waving her hand in front of his face, effectively snapping him out of his thoughts.

He looked at her and back at the light. Finally turning green, he stepped on the gas and sped through the intersection.

She was still watching him.

Glancing over at her again and focusing on the road ahead, he sighed again and decided to ask his question.

"What did Adam do to you to make you hate him so much?"

Lightning ripped through the sky again and that's when he realized he had made a dire mistake.


End file.
